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Leopards are protected in India, though more are straying into cities and villages to search for food as their habitats shrink

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An Indian man moves out of the way of a leopard in the northern Indian city of Meerut, India. Forestry officials and police armed with tranquilizer darts searched for a leopard that injured six people in the northern Indian city, creating panic and driving people indoors, police said Tuesday.The Associated Press

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A leopard looks out of the window of a hospital as an Indian policeman tries to move closer to it with a stick in the northern Indian city of Meerut, India.The Associated Press

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An Indian policeman tries to charge the leopard with a stick. Authorities ordered schools and colleges closed on Monday and asked people to stay indoors as police teams scoured the city. Shopkeepers lowered their shutters and the city streets emptied out. Soldiers also joined the hunt.The Associated Press

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In this Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014 photo taken with a cellphone camera, an Indian policeman with a stick tries to charge a leopard that was spotted at a hospital in Meerut, India.The Associated Press

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A leopard jumps at people at a structure undergoing construction at a residential area in Meerut, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh February 23, 2014. Schools and shops were closed after seven people were injured by the leopard at the cantonment hospital in Meerut.STRINGER/INDIA/Reuters

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